I hope these beta weekends don't backfire. It takes quite a few hours to really get into the meat of the game. I don't know if a weekend is really long enough, since it doesn't have something flashy like TERA's combat to really "wow" people right off the bat.

Originally Posted by Venziir

Has the combat changed since the first free weekend? Or is it still.... well the same shit?

They added in active dodge. It's pretty awesome. Combat's not pretty to look at (what game's, besides TERA, is?) but it definitely feels a lot better.

Anything to know or tips that'll help a lot for a player that has never played or even done any research on the game?

Read your journal and use the in game browser. Ability queuing is on by default so turn that off. Go through the ability wheel before you pick your weapons to see which work well together. Of all else fails follow a preset deck. Some missions require brain power. You can't just AOE everything. You disassemble old gear and potions for crafting mats.

Anything to know or tips that'll help a lot for a player that has never played or even done any research on the game?

The only thing I can say that will help you enjoy the game is don't compare this to any other MMO's. It doesn't try to borrow from other games, and it really is an individual game. Don't try to rush, and don't expect to fly through content. Be aware of your mortality (plenty of stuff can and will kill you if you get careless) and read, read, read. Remember that it's a beta, not a free trial, and don't expect a WoW killer. Make some friends and do some missions with them.

Really consider your choice of faction before creating your character. Watch the videos and pick the one that you feel you fit into best. That will help you care more about your faction and character more than just picking Dragon, for example, because you think Asians are cool.

I would take your time when selecting your first weapon. Test them all out, and get a good feel for one. I prefer to stick to one main weapon, but will spend AP to get a basic finisher for my second weapon (so I have 2 instead of 1). Spending AP to get to the outer ring of a weapon means you'll get better abilities sooner. Picking a premade deck to work towards isn't a bad idea either. Spend SP ranking up your main weapon and talismans (gear), concentrating on damage first. I tend to spend SP on my main weapon and gear in sets of 3 ranks, then going back to my secondary weapon and catching it up. After that, I'll either hoard SP or fill out secondary roles on weapons.

TSW is fun on its own merits, and if you can make a connection with the game world, the more you'll feel invested. As long as you don't treat it the same way as other games (i.e. don't expect phat lewts and instant gratification, do things to do them; not for the rewards) you may enjoy it.

It takes a while to really get into the game and stumble upon the main story arc of the beginning zones. The game is definitely not for everyone. If you manage to get into Savage Coast (you'll want your gear to be QL3 at least) and don't get a good feel for it by then, it may not be your thing.

edit: If you are having trouble adapting to the basic UI keybinds, remap them in the "Controls" menu to something you're more familiar with, instead of fighting with the browser every time you try to bring up your bags.

I don't think the ability wheel is under NDA since it's fully available during the beta weekend. I'll probably be on for most of the night tonight, so feel free to friend me (default keybind is shift+F) or shoot me a whisper. My character's name is Roksana. I decided to go Russian.

On the topic of character names, when naming your character, you'll be given three boxes: first name, nickname, and last name. First and last names do not have to be unique. Your nickname, however, is your unique character name that people will use to add you to friends list and what will show up in cabal (guild) chat. It can contain dashes and numbers. You will appear to people as First "Nickname" Last in the world, unless people change their settings. Your nickname will always be visible.

55 minutes to go... what faction will you people try first?
I'm going illuminati. A bit worried though about performance, read about people having problem with freezes both other BWE. Game is soon to be released, so question is if they will do a swtor when it come to release the game, or if they did work on it. Guess it's time to find out soon